Summary
Summary
| Report Number: | 2008-072 |
| Report Title: | Department of Children and Family Services - Community-Based Care Pilot Program - Fiscal and Administrative Monitoring - Operational Audit |
| Report Period: | 08/2006 - 06/2007 |
| Release Date: | 01/30/2008 |
Chapter 2006-30, Laws of Florida, created a three-year pilot program under which independent, nongovernmental third-party entities were to be engaged by the Department to conduct fiscal, administrative, and programmatic monitoring of the lead agencies serving Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Broward Counties. In response to the requirements of Chapter 2006-30, Laws of Florida, the Department contracted with Abel & Associates to provide fiscal and administrative monitoring and contracted with the University of Chicago on behalf of Chapin Hall Center for Children to provide programmatic monitoring of the applicable lead agencies, ChildNet and Our Kids. Chapter 2006-30, Laws of Florida, also directed the Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to perform an evaluation of the pilot program. The focus of our audit, covering the period August 2006 through June 2007, was on the efficiency and effectiveness of the fiscal and administrative monitoring provided for the lead agencies in the pilot program. Our audit disclosed:
The approach used to select the fiscal and administrative monitor was consistent with the requirements of governing law, which exempted the selection from the competitive processes otherwise required by Section 287.057, Florida Statutes. We recommend that the processes used to select any future contractor employ competition.
While we found that the monitoring services provided were consistent with contractual requirements, the efficiency and effectiveness of the monitoring services provided for the pilot lead agencies may be improved by amending the monitoring plan to address service tasks on a schedule that is risk-based.
The Department conducted an on-site review of Abel & Associates in June 2007, and the conclusion of that review was that Abel & Associates had complied with the terms and conditions of the contract.
In response to the contracted monitor’s findings, corrective actions for contractual compliance recommendations had been timely implemented by ChildNet and Our Kids.
The Department's response is included in its entirety at the end of this report as Appendix B.